The Morning After
by trubholls25
Summary: Just a little fic about what I think will happen the morning after Derek's proposal... PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! Thx! ITS BACK!
1. Chapter 1

This will probably just be a little one shot about what happens the morning after Derek's successful proposal. [Unless I feel like writing more] I don't have much experience writing grey's fic, so PLEASE R&R!!

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"Morning, Mer." Dr. Derek Shepherd told his girlfriend at the breakfast table.

Dr. Meredith Grey accepted the kiss on her cheek without even looking up. "Morning. Any surgeries today?"

"Just a craniotomy, and possibly a brain biopsy, if the patient agrees to it."

"Ugh! There's nothing good to get in on today. I'm supposed to be working with Bailey, but now that she's on a peds kick, all of her cases are pretty boring. Maybe we'll get a good, bloody trauma in the E.R. today…" Meredith bit her lip, worried about something else.

In a more serious tone, Derek asked, "Have you talked to Izzie yet?"

"If your actual question is: Have I told my poor, dying friend about my engagement yet? The answer would be yes. I called her last night, after we finished taking down the stuff in the elevator. For a guy, you sure do use a lot of tape."

Softly chuckling, he replied, "She's not dying. You saw the MRI. Her brain's free from tumors. And I don't use that much tape."

"Well, yeah, but she still has mets on her skin and liver. They're doing her abdominal surgery tomorrow. However, she was extremely excited when I told her, probably more than I was. Apparently, since she has nothing to do, she's going to plan 'the wedding of dreams' for us."

"That's nice. It'll give her something to focus on other than her cancer. Speaking of dreams, how was that proposal?"

"Derek Shepherd! That was one of the worst clichés ever! Although, I did think it was very nice. More 'us' than the roses-everywhere, guy-gets-down-on-one-knee proposals."

"Are you going to wear the ring? Or have you decided to be like Cristina?"

"Is it the ring your mother gave you? The one you hit into the woods? Is that the one you gave to me in a box last night?"

"Er- Wait a minute! How did you find out that it was my mother's? Richard never even knew that."

"Derek, have you never been to the hospital? Like Cristina once said, the only thing that spreads there faster than disease is gossip."

"Oh. I wanted to tell you that myself, but it doesn't matter. Not anymore."

"Stop trying to avoid the question! Is the ring you gave me last night the same one you threw at me? The same one that your mother gave you?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Well then, I'm not wearing it."

Derek protested, "But Mer!"

"If it isn't the one you wanted to give me, why should I wear it? From what I've hear, you mom and dad had a very good marriage. I would be honored to wear your mother's ring. But if it isn't that one, why should I wear it? It's just another expensive hunk of metal and rock."

"But I picked it out. I gave it to you!"

"Only as a second choice."

"Mer, that's not true! I had been looking at rings before-"

"Yes it is. You never seriously looked at rings. Besides, even if you had already had one, you would have proposed to me with your mother's. I know you too well."

"Will you wear the ring or not?"

"Only if it's your mother's, the one you planned to give me."

"But-"

"No buts. Find it, or I won't wear anything on my hand."

"Fine! I'll find it in the woods! If it is the last thing I do, I'll find it."

Mer replied, "Well, good luck with that." And departed.

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Thanks for reading! Whatever you think, REVIEW! Please *looks up hopefully*

-trubholls25


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it is kind of short, but it is a precursor to the next chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews! Keep them coming!

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Five Hours Later…

Derek Shepherd crawled over the last of the forest floor and sighed. He had been searching for hours, quite literally going over every square inch of ground within one hundred meters of the general direction in which he had hit the ring. Not that could really tell much more than the 'general direction' of the resting place of the ring, for he had been quite drunk at the time.

Derek sighed again. He needed help. He needed fresh eyes. Most of all, he just needed to find the damn ring that had gotten him there in the first place. [Derek was just too proud to admit that it was his fault the ring was laying somewhere in Seattle's forests.] It was time to call in backup.

Ashamedly, Derek quickly punched number three on his blackberry's speed dial [after Mer and his Mother], and held the phone up to his ear. "Hello? It's Derek."

The voice on the other end of the line spoke, "What do you want?"

"I need some help."

The person sighed. "What kind of help? It is so unlike you to be asking for assistance."

"Come out to my trailer. Then I'll explain."

"Something tells me you are already there."

"Never mind what that something tells you. Just get your ass out here!"

The voice spoke reluctantly, "Why should I? I'm a very busy man, you know."

"Why? Why should you? I'll tell you why! You're the one who, well, kind of, got me into this whole damn mess!"

"I don't know what mess you are talking about, but I still don't have to come. What could **you** do to **me**?"

"I have information on you that you could never imagine. If it gets out…"

The mysterious caller hurriedly answered, "Fine, fine, I'll be there soon!" and hung up.

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So, whom do you think Derek called? Whatever it is, REVIEW!! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

OMG!!!!!! I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER!! Here's a little chapter to make some of it better… hope you like it!

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A dark figure stepped out from behind the shadows of the trailer. Derek walked towards him, saying, "It took you long enough!"

The mysterious person replied, "Well, I had to get backup."

"Wha-what backup?"

A new voice commented, "**My** backup."

Derek replied, "I should have known. But chief, I didn't think you would really go to Mark Sloan for help."

Drs. Richard Webber and Mark Sloan walked toward the exhausted man, privately speculating about how long he had been out there. Derek had dirt, mud, twigs, and grass splattered all over his scrubs, and a stray pine needle was perched comfortably in his hair.

A smirk playing in his face, Mark commented, "Looks like you need it, though."

"Well, I can't find the damn thing ANYWHERE. And I've been looking for six hours and if Meredith doesn't wear it people will think we're getting married and then we possibly might not get married. So I really need to find the thing!"

Chief looked slightly concerned, but Mark just smiled. "Whoa, dude, you're way over-reacting. I think you should give up out here; an animal probably took it or something. Just let us take you to the store, by a new one that actually looks similar to your mom's, and get back to the hospital."

Derek said skeptically, "Richard, what do you think? She's already spotted the fake I bought for this morning… but if we got a vintage one that looked more like Mom's did…"

"Derek, I don't know, but I personally think it's the best plan we've got. You could spend a lifetime looking out here, and we need you back at Seattle Grace by tomorrow, though today is very preferable."

Derek stared down the Chief with a death glare and said, "I can stay out here with my two-point-two-million-a-year hands as long as I like! But I guess we should at least try."

"Yes, we should, Derek."

"Hell yes, we should! I need someone to talk to… the chicks haven't been digging me for a while now, and it gets kind of lonely between surgeries."

Laughing ruefully, Derek replied, "Ha. Fine, I give in. Let's go," and allowed himself to be dragged to the car.

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Thanks so much for reading after all this time!!! R&R!!!!

*trubholls25*


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Sorry for the slow update! Here's chapter four- I hope you enjoy it! R&R please!!!!!

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Chief and Mark had no idea what Derek had purchased. At the upscale jewelry store he had asked them to wait in the lobby, despite their many protests [Chief] and bribes [Mark]. It was a secret. A surprise- and hopefully a good one.

But, of course, that was hours ago. Derek now sat in a pleather seat at La Treenta, the swankiest restaurant in Seattle. He was nervous, definitely. Tonight would hopefully be where Meredith truly confirmed they were getting married. And, as usual, Derek had a precise plan to make this happen. For dessert, a waiter would bring out a pre-ordered dish, on top of which sat a sugar-spun dome. Underneath would be…it.

Derek was jerked from his thinking about the plan by Meredith's arrival. "Hey, Dr. Shepherd." She said smoothly.

The nervousness had unfortunately, but decidedly jittery, side effects. "Hey, Mer! Good to see you!"

"Um, you to. But I just saw you this morning," she spoke confusedly, "Oh, and you still have a few twigs in your hair."

"Er, right. Sorry. Do you want anything to drink? Tequila? Wine? Champagne?"

"Water is fine. Can I sit down?"

Derek jumped up, smacking himself on the head. How could he forget she needed to sit? She always sat next to him, even in booths. "Sorry! Sorry! I kind of, well, forgot. So, anyway how was your day?"

Giving him an odd look, Meredith replied, "Pretty boring. With you gone, most of the interesting neuro stuff was pushed back till tomorrow. All I could get in on was an emergency appendectomy with Bailey and a skin graft with Sloan, since I had had surgeries scheduled with you."

"Fun. Chief did tell me that I had a somewhat fuller schedule tomorrow, so know I know why. He said he was going to send all the reschedule-ees to Mercy West, but Chief never likes to give up a patient to another hospital if he can help it."

"You've got that right. The other day the E.R. was so overflowing from patients he should have deferred that we didn't have enough beds. We even had interns running traumas. It was a big GW day, for some reason."

"Hmmm. Maybe the rumors are right that he's losing his touch."

"Or going crazy."

"Might be."

"You never know, especially with him."

"That's for sure."

Most of the rest of their meal was eaten in silence, but it was the good kind of quiet. When the dapper waiter brought out the dessert, however, it was quite the opposite situation. "Derek," said Meredith, "I didn't order any dessert."

Derek was quick to make excuses, for any disruption could ruin his plan. "Oh, I ordered it for you, before you got here."

"But you never do that. And besides, there isn't one for you."

"Umm… I couldn't decide before. I'm just ordering off the menu."

"Oh, well, then I should wait to eat mine. Just until you get yours."

"No! Eat it now!! Well, you should, before it gets, um, cold."

"Alright, alright!" Meredith said, "I'm eating! I really don't see the need for a big fuss. Besides, this is cake, and it doesn't get cold… Derek, what's this?"

Meredith pulled the Tiffany-blue box out from under the carefully constructed sugar dome. "Just look inside!" Derek said eagerly.

She gasped out loud when she pulled out the necklace. "Oh, it's beautiful, Derek! And is that- is that a _scalpel_ charm hanging on it?"

"Yep, I had it specially made. I thought, it could, um, symbolize, you know, what we do and everything. I hope you like it."

"I love it! The scalpel is perfect for me. Can you put it on?"

As Derek fastened the chain around Meredith's slender neck, he inquired, "So this means we _are _getting married, right?"

"Of course! Why in the world would you think other wise?"

"But-but-this morning!"

"I only meant that I wouldn't wear the ring, if it didn't have significance like your mother's. I'm not your traditional bride, you know."

Chuckling, Derek replied, "I know. But that's why I love you."

"I love you too."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Definitely!"

"Waiter!" Derek called, "Bill please!"

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I'm thinking that the next chapter [the epilogue] will be the last. Press the review button [you know you want to] and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading, everyone!

*trubholls25*


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